Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

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Lin Li sensed something. He didn't answer whether he would go or not, but simply said...

"This year we plan to expand into more areas."

Deng Yi nodded.

"You know, our Shanghai Ministry of Culture has always been very supportive of Chinese games going overseas. Not only our Ministry of Culture, but also the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are very supportive."

"Promoting Chinese culture is the next key focus of our work, and coincidentally, during the Cologne exhibition, leaders from the Ministry of Culture were visiting Germany."

Lin Li smacked his lips and figured something out, but he was still a little unsure.

Although Deng Yi is a pragmatist, he speaks in a very plain and straightforward manner.

However, some information needs to be stated more directly. If one is concerned about one's identity and dares not ask clearly, it will be easier for things to go wrong later.

Lin Li then replied with a smile.

"Brother Deng, just say what's on your mind. We at Xinghuo Games will fully cooperate with the official policies."

Lin Li made his point very clear, but Deng Yi on the phone didn't say it directly. Instead, he started talking about the overall situation.

"The leader's meaning is quite simple."

"Our economy has developed rapidly in recent years, but our cultural output to the outside world is not enough. If we want to become a major cultural exporter, we can't rely on kung fu and giant pandas alone."

“Cultural symbols are symbolic. Games spread culture through the setting of symbols such as game scenes and characters, which best conforms to the characteristic of cultural ‘subtle influence’ and is more effective than hard-sell dissemination.”

"Your Spark Games press conference a few days ago was a huge hit around the world, and the leaders were very pleased. But there's just one thing that feels missing."

"Something's missing?" Lin Li asked.

Deng Yi didn't answer directly, but asked a question instead.

"Did you watch 'The Great Wall' last year?"

"Looked."

"The model of 'The Great Wall' was good, but the final result wasn't very good. If we want to tell the story of China well, we Chinese people have to do it ourselves..."

"understand?"

Lin Li felt a headache coming on; he didn't quite understand, as if he did, but also as if he didn't fully grasp it.

In the end, he decided to translate the dialogue into plain language to avoid misunderstanding it.

"Brother Deng, do you want us at Spark Games to create a game project that can convey Chinese culture? To participate in Gamescom?"

Lin Li spoke so bluntly that Deng Yi decided not to hold back either.

"That's one way to put it. Of course, you still have to handle this yourself. We're just offering suggestions. And this project doesn't need to be a huge undertaking. As long as it can attract some attention from foreign media like you did this time, be accepted by foreign players, and ideally make a splash at Gamescom, that would be enough."

Lin Li fell silent. These words were spoken as if it were nothing more than going downstairs to buy a cabbage.

But in reality, how many games are played at Gamescom each year?

How many of these items will generate heated discussions among players after the exhibition?

Moreover, with less than four months until Gamescom, the fact that Deng Yi could make such a request proves that he doesn't actually understand the gaming industry that well.

While Lin Li remained silent, Deng Yi was still making empty promises.

"We will also coordinate as much as possible in terms of policy..."

Before the pie was even finished being drawn, Lin Li had already nodded.

"Alright, Brother Yi, even without government support, we still want to promote Chinese culture. We'll take on this!"

Lin Li's quick acceptance of the offer left Deng Yi, who was still making empty promises, completely bewildered.

"Okay, but I don't know if there's enough time?"

"There's still time, Brother Deng. There shouldn't be any problem with the demo presentation."

"Okay, I knew Mr. Lin was conscientious. Come over and have a good chat when you have time."

"Okay."

hang up the phone.

Lin Li stood there thinking for several minutes before walking to the lounge, grabbing a bottle of water, and returning to his seat.

He needs to continue thinking.

Look.

The things I did recently, and the interview with IGN.

His influence was even greater than he had imagined.

It wasn't just the players who reacted; the official team also responded.

If it is under normal circumstances.

Lin Li will not take on this matter, even if the authorities approach him.

After all, the Gamescom exhibition is so close.

Furthermore, Spark Games currently lacks suitable projects to showcase.

If the official exhibition were held in Japan, Galaxy Park might be okay, but the target audience for Gamescom is completely different.

However, at this point in time, Lin Li chose to first express his intention to cooperate.

The most important reason is that Lin Li is very clear that there will be a major event in the Chinese gaming industry next March.

Winter is coming...

The first major freeze on game licenses is expected next year.

Game licenses were suspended in March 2018, then partially resumed in September, only to be suspended again in 2021.

Specifically.

The two suspensions caused a backlog of game licenses. Even after the resumption in 22, the large number of previously unissued licenses created a congestion.

In the previous life, as late as 24, some manufacturers announced that they had finally obtained a game license, but the company had already gone bankrupt...

Regarding this matter.

Lin Li had always been prepared.

This includes various projects being initiated in advance, applications for game licenses being submitted in advance, and even applications for some "empty" game licenses.

The so-called "empty" license number is just a random, popular name that you come up with.

For example, with "Gun Girl Wars," you can first obtain the game license, and then apply for a name change if you want to make this type of game later.

This was also a common tactic employed by many companies during the previous game license freeze.

During the period of a license freeze, there were even instances where games that had already been shut down were reskinned and relaunched.

But from beginning to end.

Lin Li never thought he could stop this winter of game license approvals.

After all, the tall companies in the previous life, such as Tencent and NetEase, must have made efforts before the winter came. If they couldn't withstand it, how could Lin Li possibly withstand it?

but now.

Deng Yi's phone call.

This made Lin Li think even more.

If this is done well, it will not only ward off the cold winter.

It would be good to put a coat on yourself.

Just like in the previous life, at Gamescom, the deputy director of the Chinese propaganda department met with the creators of Black Myth...

Lin Li certainly didn't think that with the current capabilities of Spark Games, they could create a near-AAA game like Black Myth.

Moreover, Cologne is in August.

It's only a few months away now.

But... Lin Li is a professional at PV scams... no, I mean, at making empty promises in demos.

Making grand promises over three months might not be so bad.

Thinking of this, Lin Li started searching through Xinghuo Games' IP library. What was he looking for?

Naturally, it involved revisiting the copyright that Liu Cixin sold to him last year.

Chapter 232 Cologne Exhibition

August, the height of summer.

Cologne, a city on the Rhine River in western Germany, is currently in its peak tourist season.

However, Lin Li and his friends had no time to think about traveling.

The group is making final adjustments to the video and demo that will be presented tomorrow.

This time.

Instead of staying at the hotel provided by Gamescom, Spark Games rented a villa on its own.

Although the initial idea was to take Su Shanshan to Germany before the Cologne exhibition, so we decided to rent a nice place to stay, since we weren't short of money.

But, actually.

As soon as everyone got off the plane and arrived at the villa, the first thing they did was turn on their computers and start working...

The reason is quite simple.

While on the plane, Lin Li discovered another bug in the demo and also gained some ideas about the demo video.

This kind of thing is actually not very common at Spark Games.

But this time, with only three months to create the demo, it's perfectly normal to encounter problems.

rather say.

It would be strange if you didn't encounter problems.

Wang Wei, the lead programmer who was temporarily brought in, was currently in the villa's hall, engrossed in making changes at the luxurious dining table.

Turning around, he was startled to see his boss standing behind him, and his body trembled slightly: "Hey, Mr. Lin, why do you walk so quietly?"

Lin Li ignored him, but looked at the screen and asked a question.

"How's the progress?"

"Just two more shots and we'll be set up," Wang Wei said, still a little proud.

"Great, give me more time for editing."

"Huh? New footage from the demo needs to be edited into the PV? That's unnecessary."

"You're really putting the cart before the horse. If it weren't for making the PV look better, there would be no need to add any features to DMEO. Alright, hurry up and get it done."

~~~

Spark Games didn't have many attendees at Gamescom this year.

Lin Li, Su Shanshan, and a few other key members of the DEMO team.

Because the mission was to promote the product to the outside world, no domestic promotion was carried out.

They posted a message in the corner of their official website announcing that Spark Games would also be participating in Gamescom.

However, even though Lin Li did not do any promotion, Xinghuo Games' participation in Gamescom still attracted widespread attention and heated discussions among players in China.

On social media platforms such as Bilibili, forums, and Weibo.

Keywords such as "Spark Games" and "Cologne debut" quickly went viral.

In the past, most gamers' expectations for Gamescom were for major international titles.

But this year...

The emergence of Spark Games has given many players a new sense of anticipation for Gamescom.

However, at the same time, many players have low expectations for Spark Games' trip to Cologne.

"In the mobile game industry, Spark Games is a top-tier company globally."